The Heart of Jamaica: Language! Every culture has its own unique language that evolves in ways reflecting the people who speak it-their minds, hearts, and souls. The Original Jamaican Patois is a fascinating guide to the Jamaican people and their dialect, all the way from A to zed (Z)! You'll meet the real Jamaicans and become enchanted by the song-like quality of the Patois. This book is for every Jamaican, for everyone who loves Jamaica, and for everyone who has even heard of Jamaica and wanted to learn more. Get to know the people in their own candid words, learn about stories of their distant past, and experience the vitality and laughter that are ingrained in the Jamaican culture.

Patois, patwah, patwa or whichever other way it is spelt, is a dialect, a mixture of a least four different languages, mainly English, French, Spanish and Dutch. It is the(de facto) national language of Jamaica, sometimes referred to as Jamaican English. Most of the words are not pure from any of these languages, but they are easily understood particularly by people and/or their descendants of Caribbean islands. Patwa originated in the early days of slavery in the region and served as the principal way of communication between the slaves. This communication was very essential as the islands had many small plantations, and the slaves were from different parts of Africa with multiple tribal languages. However, even before the Africans were brought to the islands, there were English, Irish, Spanish and Dutch slaves who became slave-drivers of the Africans and taught them enough of their respective languages to enable some form of communication.

Dulciemiena had been a hard luck child from her conception. Her mother who was raped and cocieved her, lost her mind, and died giving birth to her. For the first six years or her life she was seriously ill at the orphanage. She recovered from her illness, but because of her sick past no one would adopt her until she was ten, when her identity was exchanged to that of a healthy child. Her adoptive family treated her as Cinderella, and worst; to the point of abuse; physical and sexual. She developed a tight bond with the female helper who tutored her in the do's and don'ts of life. In the meantime she had grown into a body that won the local teen-aged girl beauty contest. That exposure gave her bit parts into movies. She did some stints in modelling ladies dresses for her designer mother when the contracted models reniged, and surprised everyone how well she did on the catwalk just by watching the professionals.

After it was known that Jamaican natives failed interviews that were conducted in patois, the writer decided that it was time to awaken Patois. This book was written to inform readers that Patois is a written language which can be learned and spoken like any other language. The words and phrases in this book, originated from English, African, and Creole, and can be heard wherever Jamaican natives reside.

Patois Tales is a heartwarming and exciting book that evokes excitement from children and nostalgia from adults. Using stories that exude the rich culture of Jamaica, Marsha Wade has managed to create a book of humorous stories each of which contain a valuable moral. Weaved into the book are a set of worksheets which tests the readers' literary and comprehension skills while prompting them to explore their own creativity. Utilizing authentic Jamaican patois (complete with a glossary for non speakers), this book is one that unashamedly displays the culture of Jamaica in a way that is engaging, enjoyable and educational. **A new bar has been set for Jamaican children's stories told the Jamaican way.**

The method and plan of this dictionary of Jamaican English are basically the same as those of the Oxford English Dictionary, but oral sources have been extensively tapped in addition to detailed coverage of literature published in or about Jamaica since 1655. It contains information about the Caribbean and its dialects, and about Creole languages and general linguistic processes. Entries give the pronounciation, part-of-speach and usage of labels, spelling variants, etymologies and dated citations, as well as definitions. Systematic indexing indicates the extent to which the lexis is shared with other Caribbean countries.